Week Twelve: Detroit Lions (9-1) @ Indianapolis Colts (5-6)

[MichiganCardinal]

          vs.          

Setting: 11/24/2024 1:00pm EST on FOX

Site: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN

Weather: Climate Controlled

Opening Spread: Lions -8

All-Time Series Record: Colts lead, 22-20-2

Last Meeting: 11/01/2020, Colts won 41-21

 

Indianapolis Colts (5-6)

Head Coach: Shane Steichen (2nd Season: 14-14)

Projected Starting QB: Anthony Richardson (2nd Season: 6-5)

Last Game: 28-27 W @ New York Jets (3-8)

Looking Ahead to Week #13: Sunday @ New England Patriots (3-8)

 

Your Detroit Lions (9-1)

Head Coach: Dan Campbell (4th Season: 33-27-1)

Projected Starting QB: Jared Goff (9th Season: 75-51-1)

Last Week: 52-6 W v. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9)

Looking Ahead to Week #13: Thanksgiving v. Chicago Bears (4-6)

 

Elsewhere in the NFL

Primetime: Steelers @ Browns (TNF), Eagles @ Rams (SNF), Ravens @ Chargers (MNF)

1:00pm: Chiefs @ Panthers, Vikings @ Bears, Titans @ Texans, Patriots @ Dolphins, Buccaneers @ Giants, Cowboys @ Commanders

4:05/4:25pm: Broncos @ Raiders, 49ers @ Packers, Cardinals @ Seahawks

BYE: Falcons, Bills, Bengals, Jaguars, Saints, and Jets

[MichiganCardinal]

9-1 is the best start in Lions franchise history dating back to the inaugural 1934 edition of the Detroit Lions, fresh off the move from Portsmouth. That 1934 squad, led by head coach Potsy Clark and QB Dutch Clark (no relation), started 10-0, not allowing a point on defense for the first seven games. They ultimately fell to a disappointing 10-3 finish, losing twice in the last three games to the undefeated Chicago Bears.

In true Bears fashion though, they lost the NFL Championship 30-13 to the New York Giants. Some things never change.

[Motown Bombers]

[Motor City Sonics]

The Tampa Bay game was a fluky loss.  The Lions doubled them in team yards 463-216.   They were just out of synch in the red zone that day.   This team could very easily be 10-0 right now.  

The Lions are so ****ing good that the league should give Tampa Bay an automatic playoff berth just for beating them. 

[RedRamage]

13 hours ago, MichiganCardinal said:

9-1 is the best start in Lions franchise history dating back to the inaugural 1934 edition of the Detroit Lions, fresh off the move from Portsmouth. That 1934 squad, led by head coach Potsy Clark and QB Dutch Clark (no relation), started 10-0, not allowing a point on defense for the first seven games. They ultimately fell to a disappointing 10-3 finish, losing twice in the last three games to the undefeated Chicago Bears.

In true Bears fashion though, they lost the NFL Championship 30-13 to the New York Giants. Some things never change.

I had a whole long reply to this typed up that I should have saved because I knew the server migration was coming, but I didn't. 😞

The short version is that the Spartan/Lions had a part to play in the NFL Championship game even existing. Prior to 1933 the NFL Champion was the team with the best record. In 1932 the Bears and Spartans both finished with the same winning percentage and the normal tiebreakers didn't work, so the league and the teams agreed to an additional game to decide the ultimate winner. This was officially a regular season game so doesn't count at a post season game. 1933 would see the first official playoff/Championship game.

That 1932 "playoff" game is actually a wild story. If you haven't heard about it ready the wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1932_NFL_Playoff_Game

The game had to be moved inside due to weather and was played on a "field" that just a few days earlier was used for a circus. Special rule changes had to be made, some of which persist through today!

[Motown Bombers]

This guy just can’t stay healthy. 

 

[RedRamage]

I know that at some point reading stuff like this in other team's Reddit pages will be old news and boring... but after all the decades I'm still 100% in the zone of enjoying the hell out of stuff like this. 

[MichiganCardinal]

1 minute ago, Motown Bombers said:

This guy just can’t stay healthy. 

 

Lucky for us he doesn’t really have a role in this backfield right now. Curious to see how they use Moseley though.

[RedRamage]

2 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

This guy just can’t stay healthy. 

 

It's a major bummer... but it's also the one position where I'm not too bother if we never get him playing this season. We've got arguably the best two safeties in the league right now.

[Motown Bombers]

Just now, MichiganCardinal said:

Lucky for us he doesn’t really have a role in this backfield right now. Curious to see how they use Moseley though.

Actually he did have a role with Anzalone out. They could have went with a 3 safties and used Melifonwu as basically a linebacker since he's a good blitzer and good against the run. 

[Motown Bombers]

3 minutes ago, RedRamage said:

I know that at some point reading stuff like this in other team's Reddit pages will be old news and boring... but after all the decades I'm still 100% in the zone of enjoying the hell out of stuff like this. 

The 49ers may not make the playoffs. They are technically in last place but only one game back. They have lost all the tiebreakers so far. Their only path is likely through winning the division. The 49ers are getting old, and I think their window is closing. The Lions are a lot like the 49ers of old. Just a good team at all phases of the game. 

[RedRamage]

15 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

Actually he did have a role with Anzalone out. They could have went with a 3 safties and used Melifonwu as basically a linebacker since he's a good blitzer and good against the run. 

Hmm... yeah, that's a valid argument. Well, more Rodrigo then? That one tackle yesterday was killer!

[lordstanley]

42 minutes ago, RedRamage said:

I know that at some point reading stuff like this in other team's Reddit pages will be old news and boring... but after all the decades I'm still 100% in the zone of enjoying the hell out of stuff like this. 

For sure. And the network pundits on Monday morning. 

"They're the class in the National Football League, that's what they are. They are the best team in the NFL, the Detroit Lions. They have made 100% a reality what the coach said when he first introduced himself ...smart, stout, relentless, heartless. How many times have the Lions been curb-stomped in their time? They are absolutely taking decades of curb-stomping and throwing it back at the NFL".

 

Edited November 18 by lordstanley

[Motown Bombers]

In terms of strength of victory, the combined winning percentage of the teams they have beaten, the Lions are 3rd in the league behind Tampa and Baltimore. 9-1 against a schedule that hasn't been particularly easy. 

[Motown Bombers]

They activated Melifonwu from injured reserved. Guess the injury must not be long term. 

*EDIT* Since it's a new injury, I think they can put him on IR again. 

Edited November 18 by Motown Bombers

[Tigeraholic1]

 

 

[lordstanley]

7 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

In terms of strength of victory, the combined winning percentage of the teams they have beaten, the Lions are 3rd in the league behind Tampa and Baltimore. 9-1 against a schedule that hasn't been particularly easy. 

With road wins over AFC South leading Houston (7-4), NFC West leading Arizona (6-4), Minnesota (8-2) and Green Bay (7-3). Plus Dallas, lol

[Sports_Freak]

18 hours ago, RedRamage said:

I had a whole long reply to this typed up that I should have saved because I knew the server migration was coming, but I didn't. 😞

The short version is that the Spartan/Lions had a part to play in the NFL Championship game even existing. Prior to 1933 the NFL Champion was the team with the best record. In 1932 the Bears and Spartans both finished with the same winning percentage and the normal tiebreakers didn't work, so the league and the teams agreed to an additional game to decide the ultimate winner. This was officially a regular season game so doesn't count at a post season game. 1933 would see the first official playoff/Championship game.

That 1932 "playoff" game is actually a wild story. If you haven't heard about it ready the wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1932_NFL_Playoff_Game

The game had to be moved inside due to weather and was played on a "field" that just a few days earlier was used for a circus. Special rule changes had to be made, some of which persist through today!

Good read...thanks for that.

[Motown Bombers]

Golden Tate is a fan of Dan Campbell. 

 

[RandyMarsh]

Currently the Lions rank 3rd ALL TIME in DVOA through this many games in the season.

Not just an all time Lions team thus far but this has been a historically unbelievable start in NFL history.

[Jason_R]

It seems inevitable that Detroit will put up 40 on the Colts. 

[lordstanley]

1 hour ago, RandyMarsh said:

Currently the Lions rank 3rd ALL TIME in DVOA through this many games in the season.

Not just an all time Lions team thus far but this has been a historically unbelievable start in NFL history.

I also read that if the Lions maintain the +15.8/game point differential the next 7 games, their season total would end up 2nd best since 2000 behind only the 2007 Patriots. 

[Shinzaki]

Signing Long could be one of those sneaky under the radar move that pays big dividends 

[Motown Bombers]

 

[Jason_R]

Scrambling is like the mystery box of QB evaluation. Do you want the boat or the mystery box? I’ll take the mystery box because it might be a boat.  

Goff leads the NFL at 9.2 yards per attempt. Josh Allen is 14th at 7.2. Mahomes is 23rd at 7.0. Would either of them operate the Lions offense better than Goff? We will never know but he is running it as close to perfectly as we’ve ever seen.